WASTE

Many towns and cities are initiating the ban on plastic grocery bags due to their effects on the environment (actual pollution and aesthetics) due to accumulation on streets, shrubs and forests. Most plastic bags, unless specially blended for biodegradation, have an inability to degrade biologically or via photodegredation ( degradation by light).

UNESCO has program to designate the plastic wasteland within our Pacific Ocean as a new "State". This region of plastic trash is called the Pacific Trash Vortex. The thought to designate this Trash Vortex as a state is conflicting and insulting to our planet because it implies that this "State" will never disappear. this trash will never be abolished because we as humans are not willing to accept our responsibility in helping to create this massive amount of pollution.

On one side of this debate it implies that one creating the "State" for this mass accumulation of pollution is socially acceptable. It is not.

UNESCO states also that this plastic photodegrades on its own. It can, that is true. But this ocean plastic wasteland does not degrade completely, and even pieces that do may take years to degrade. Pieces braking off are eaten my marine life, fish, turtles, shark....sometimes causing injury. Sometimes causing the animals death.

Did you know that sea turtles and other marine life mistake those white plastic grocery bags as jelly fish, one of the main components of their diet. You may say shame on them...Darwin wins..... survival of the fittest......they should evolve their little brains to adept to our technology.

Plastic, whether it is 1, 2, 5, 6 or 7........is not a necessity within our food packaging criteria. Although it has improved somewhat there are numerous studies proving its negative impact on our stored food. In a community effort we may begin by maneuvering away from the transport of our food stuffs with the nuisance plastic bags with reusable bags. This one maneuver will decrease the amount of free traveling plastic bags that circulate through our streets, highways and oceans.

Well.....should it not be us, the inventors on this planet, to be more respectful of our interconnecting ecosystem??? A global cradle to cradle approach for new inventions should be implemented as a mandatory criteria to involve the recycling efforts of any new invention. As we as a global community should and can contribute to the knowledge and action of participating in that recycling endeavor to ensure our future generations will be cared for in a healthy manner and only pass on the "good stuff" not the collection of trash.